Three Secrets to Trade Show Selling

(NOTE: IF YOUR COMPANY DOES NOT PLAN TO ATTEND
ANY TRADE SHOWS THIS YEAR, SKIP TO QUICK TIP #3 TO
LEARN WHY MOST SALES LITERATURE IS A WASTE OF
MONEY.)

• What is your literature strategy at a trade show?
• What do you hand out and to whom?
• How do you make it effective?
• How do you avoid wasting money?

When it comes to trade shows, there are generally two schools of thought. They are:

1. “Hit ‘em with everything you got” exhibitors, and
2. “Don’t give ‘em a thing” exhibitors

So who’s right? Well, I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Quick Tip #1: Create literature just for the show.
Before you balk at this idea, let me explain. When was the last time you took the 10 pounds of literature people shoved at you and carefully perused it for valuable services and products? On the other hand, when was the last time you got home, let it sit in a corner, then threw it away a couple weeks later?

Why does this happen? Because it’s too much information and it’s not specific to your needs.

That’s why I suggestcreating a targeted promotional piece for each trade show.Write a one-sheet flyer describing your key solutions critical to the visitors attending the show. Make it current, topical, and distribute it exclusively at that show. This will save you time and money because you’ll be giving visitors enough to whet their interest without wasting your pricier marketing pieces.

Note: This does not mean you can get away with unprofessional or lackluster content. It is the only piece your prospects will remember you by and should be created with the purpose of generating action using the appropriate rules of persuasion.

Quick Tip #2: How to Use Fusion Marketing.
What is fusion marketing? It refers to the guerilla marketing idea that you and your customers are better served when your marketing takes a cooperative approach versus a competitive approach. When you paint yourself as a team player and leverage your contacts with other complementary resources, rather than beating up on your competition, you become more attractive to your prospects and more profitable.

If you have any fusion-marketing partners exhibiting at your trade show, consider creating a one-sheet flyer with a map on one side identifying the locations of your business partners on the show floor. On the other side, print short summaries of the specific benefits your business partners bring to your buyers. (This also reduces printing and copywriting fees if you hire professionals to create your piece.)

Quick Tip #3: Creating literature that works.
Why is most sales literature written today a waste of money?Because most companies still produce literature in a customer vacuum. Instead of getting input from their sales force or the buyers, instead of focusing on how the buyers make decisions (i.e. what criteria they use to evaluate a service or product and what solutions they’re looking for), too many companies focus on what they believe makes their product or service “really cool.”

Instead of being so impressed with your own service or product that you load prospects down with a list of features they don’t care about, create a marketing piece that addresses each audience’s special needs. Buyers need you to help them along the buying process. A good marketing piece doesn’t answer all their questions. Instead, it inspires them to ask questions that will enable them to self-discover why you are the solution they’ve been looking for.

Committed to your marketing success,
Lina Penalosa
January 10, 2006